Chained Destiny
by harukakanata
Summary: AU.Witness to her father's cruel murder and then slashed by a cursed sword, Tenten swears vengeance at the young age of 6. 12 years later, Tenten is a mercenary working for a mysterious and rich man.She is given the task to spy on the Hyuuga Empire.NejTen


**Author's Note: **Hey everyone. Welcome to my new fic! Well, I hope you enjoy…This might seem slightly dark and full of angst compared to my other fics.

**Summary (Full): **Tenten was an ordinary girl whose father was a wealthy blacksmith. But when Tenten's father refuses to hand over a certain powerful sword to the evil and wealthy Orochimaru, Orochimaru seeks to kill him and steal the sword. Witness to her father's cruel murder and then slashed by the now-corrupted and cursed sword, Tenten swears vengeance at the young age of 6. The long, bolt-shaped scar on her chest burns when evil is near. 12 years later, Tenten is a mercenary working for a mysterious and evil rich man. Tenten is given the task to disguise herself as a maid for the Hyuuga Empire, secretly kill Hiashi, and bring his head as proof. But things don't go as planned when Tenten meets the cold and arrogant price Hyuuga Neji, including the shy and gentle princess Hyuuga Hinata. Tenten finds it harder and harder to fulfill her mission as she befriends and earns the trust of other people in the Hyuuga Empire. And when a certain prince decides to break through her inner barrier and melt her stone-cold heart, things only get worse…

**Pairings: **Main pairing Neji+Tenten, other pairings Naruto+Hinata and Sasuke+Sakura.

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Naruto.**

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**Prologue: Swear of Vengeance**

_6-year-old Tenten ran across the rough gravel streets, a triumphant grin on her face as she sped past many shops and bars. She halted to a stop when she arrived at a massive mansion. The familiar dark grey smoke rose from the smithy._

"_Father!" Tenten yelled excitedly as she ran into the smithy. She jumped over a pile of unsharpened shuriken and into the workshop. A tall, slightly tanned man loomed over a piece of white-hot metal. A single bead of sweat ran down his temple as he pounded away at the metal with a heavy stone hammer. He turned around with a small smile when Tenten entered the room._

"_Oh, Tenten. Welcome back." He said cheerfully, setting the piece of metal inside a blazing fire._

"_Father! Guess what? I learned how to do the Soushouryu properly!" Tenten exclaimed breathlessly, a proud grin on her dirt-smudged face. Her Chinese-style twin buns were loosened and strands of chestnut-brown hair stuck out from her head here and there. Also, her navy blue Chinese-style shirt was a bit torn and dirty in some places, and her usually-neat pants were splattered with mud. Tenten's father, who's name was Masahiro, looked quite surprised and impressed._

"_Is that so? Well, you can show me after I finish making this sword." He said, and turned around to pull the hot metal out of the fire. Then, he started to pound at it again. Tenten watched with great interest and curiosity in her big amber eyes. She had learned how to forge kunai, shuriken, senbon, knives, sickles, and small daggers, but she always wondered how Masahiro could make an elegant sword out of an ordinary piece of metal. As Tenten watched, her eyes widened as Masahiro set a weird-looking red stone onto the metal, and melted the stone into it._

"_What's that red stone for, father? What is this sword?" Tenten asked, her eyes dazzled by the shimmering yet eerie glow of the stone. She caught a glimpse of Masahiro's face and a new hoard of questions buzzed around in her head as she spotted the look of grief and regret on his usually calm and gentle face. But the look of grief and regret vanished as soon as it appeared, so Tenten decided to ignore the questions for now._

"_The sword I'm making…is special, Tenten. A rich landlord offered many bags of gold coins for it, and he seemed very desperate to have it. I couldn't refuse. But now…" Masahiro trailed off and Tenten looked at him. The look of grief and regret was on his face once more._

"_Why don't you just cancel the deal, then?" Tenten asked, trying to make her father feel better. She hated to see the look of grief on his face. Especially after her mother Botan had died 2 years ago. Masahiro shook his head._

"_At your age you might not understand, but…I just can't seem to throw it out. After all…your mother gave that stone to me. The stone was meant to protect others. I hope that it will do well in a sword." He explained, but Tenten was still confused. Masahiro laughed quietly and patted her head. "You'll understand when you're older, Tenten. Now, wash up and I'll meet you at dinnertime." Tenten nodded and ran off thoughts still buzzing in her head._

_By dinnertime, Tenten had washed up, changed into new clothes, and had hastily tied her hair into a single bun instead of the usual two Chinese buns. Masahiro, surprisingly, wasn't at the dinner table yet. There were no maids or butlers around, either._

'_Maybe father is going to continue working on that sword, and then come for dinner…' Tenten thought, so she began to eat the plate of food in front of her._

_When Tenten had finished eating, Masahiro was still not there. Tenten glanced at the now-cold plate of meat at her father's seat._

"_I guess I'll bring it to him." She muttered, and picked up the pate. As she walked out of the mansion and into the garden, she felt uneasiness welling up inside of her for some reason. She felt as if something was going to happen…but she didn't know what. A few minutes later, she was at the smithy. Tenten was surprised and confused to see that there was no familiar grey smoke rising from the chimney. The warm, comfortable atmosphere of the wooden hut now seemed cold and unwelcoming. But Tenten just ignored those feelings and walked inside. The room was dark and chilly, quite unlike the usual light and warmth of the fire. Clutching the cold dinner plate with her clammy hands, Tenten took a step inside. However, she stepped back immediately when a dim candlelight flashed on and shouting voices were heard. Her mind filled with worry and fear, Tenten trembled slightly and she pressed herself onto the wall where she could hear her father's voice and someone else's. The other man's voice was as cold as ice and sharp as steel compared to Masahiro's shaky and nervous voice._

"_Hand over the sword, Masahiro." said the stranger._

"_I…I won't." Masahiro said defiantly, but there was a hint of fear in his voice. The stranger hissed, as if angered._

"_Why? I gave you a handsome amount of money…"_

"…_As I made the sword, I just realized what you're going to use it for…I won't let you use one of my weapons for killing someone!" Masahiro exclaimed, bravery returning to his words. There was silence for a while, and Tenten edged closer to the opening of the door, straining to hear._

"_I see…so that is your decision…" The stranger said with his voice barely above a hiss. Tenten could see the faint outline of her father clutching the sword to his chest._

"_No matter what, I won't let you have this sword!" he said, and prepared to strike if necessary._

"…_You pathetic human," the man hissed, and Tenten's eyes widened in horror as a huge, vicious-looking snake crawled out of the man's sleeve. "You dare to defy me, the great Orochimaru?" The stranger, whose name seemed to be Orochimaru, released the snake onto Masahiro. Masahiro made an effort to block it, but it was no use. The snake wrapped around the sharp blade of the sword, not even getting a scratch from the steel. Masahiro was forced to drop the sword when the snake snapped at his calloused and soot-covered hands. Suddenly, out of nowhere, another snake came and wrapped itself around Masahiro's legs. Another one wrapped around his neck. Masahiro gasped and coughed, struggling to breathe. He looked around wildly for any weapon, but he was too far away from the weapon rack. Plus, snakes were beginning to wrap around his whole body, completely immobilizing him. At this point, Tenten couldn't watch any longer._

"_STOP!" she screamed, tears threatening to fall from her scared and fearful eyes. She let go of the dinner plate and it shattered into many pieces on the ground. Tenten ran to her father and pulled out a dagger from her pocket. Orochimaru stared at the dagger and began to chuckle._

"_So you think that butter knife will protect you and your pitiful father?" he mocked, clearly amused by the small 6-year-old girl standing in front of him with a dagger no sharper than a knife in her little hands._

"_Tenten…stay…back…" Masahiro whispered, hardly breathing through the tight bind of the snake. Tenten whirled around, her bottom lip trembling in fear. Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her as a particularly large snake with deadly, dagger-like fangs slammed her to the wall. She struggled to get up but her eyes widened as she found that her arms and legs were bound with snakes._

"_Father…" she whispered weakly, tears forming once more in her eyes. Her dagger lay on the ground forgotten. Orochimaru stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself and his face. His face was gaunt and deathly pale, with a coarse mane of coal-black long hair. He was wearing robes that only nobles can afford, ones made out of pure silk and rich cotton. But the thing about him that chilled Tenten the most was his eyes. They were cold, piercing, and icy gold-colored eyes that seemed like the eye of a snake. He had a sinister smirk on his face._

"_Now, little Tenten…how about you watch as your father gets his…punishment? Then perhaps you pathetic humans will learn a lesson." he drawled, and picked up the very sword her father had made. The one with the red-tinted blade, as if it had been stained by blood although it was brand-new._

"_No…no…you can't…" tears were running down Tenten's cheeks by now, and she could only watch helplessly as Orochimaru advanced towards her father. Masahiro had a weak smile on his face, with a look of pure regret and grief in his eyes._

"_Tenten…be strong…Never give up…" he said, and Tenten shook her head, tears continuously flowing._

"_NO! FATHER!" she screamed, just as Orochimaru plunged the sword into Masahiro's heart. Time seemed to pass by slowly as Masahiro coughed up some blood and hung limply on the rope of snakes. Tenten screamed again when Orochimaru didn't stop and calmly beheaded the dead body of her father. Tears were flowing endlessly on Tenten's cheeks. Her eyes seemed hollow and hopeless, as if lost of any emotions except sadness, pain, and grief. The headless body of her father remained in her sight, even when she closed her eyes. Orochimaru chuckled._

"_See what happens when people don't listen? This is what happens…" he whispered, wiping the blood on the sword with Masahiro's already blood-stained shirt and clothes. The snakes released the limp corpse and the body fell with a 'THUD' onto the concrete floor. The snakes that were binding Tenten also slithered away, and Tenten fell on her knees, still crying silently. "Now, little Tenten…you will do as I please…" Orochimaru said, a sadistic smile on his face. Tears still blurred Tenten's vision, but deep inside of her, her mind kept replaying what her father had whispered to her before he died._

"_Tenten…be strong…never give up…" his voice echoed in her mind, filling her up with such burning anger and hatred towards Orochimaru that she clenched her fists tight enough to draw blood._

"_What's wrong, little Tenten…Come…" Orochimaru repeated, this time a bit more firmly._

"_No…" Tenten replied, her voice hardly above a whisper. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at her._

"_What did you say?" he hissed, his gold-colored eyes starting to flare._

"_NO! I will not obey you, I will not follow your commands…You'll pay for killing father!" Tenten yelled as loud as she could, and grabbed the little dagger that was at her feet. Blinded with furious rage she ran towards Orochimaru with the dagger in hand, tears still flowing. Orochimaru didn't say anything for a moment as she charged towards him. Then, his lips curved into a vicious and dangerous smile._

"_I see…So if that's your choice…" he muttered, and grabbed Tenten's wrist roughly, causing her to drop the dagger. Then, he raised the red-bladed sword that Masahiro had worked so hard on and slashed across Tenten's chest. Tenten didn't even have time to yell, scream, or say something before she fell limply to the floor, beside the beheaded body of her father. Blood poured out from her wound, and for some reason, the wound kept flashing a scarlet-red color, as if it was burning. Blood mingled with tears as Tenten stared blankly at the blood-stained floor. "Pitiful…just like your father. I added a little 'gift' to your wound…I don't really appreciate it when people forget about me, you see. But then again…you might not survive. That is a fatal wound, after all." Orochimaru said, and the last thing Tenten heard was his footsteps walking out of the smithy._

_It had been several minutes, and Tenten was turning pale because of blood loss. The wound on her chest had stopped burning when Orochimaru had left the area, but blood still seeped endlessly from it. Her shirt was now completely blood-soaked, but Tenten didn't care. She could only stare at her father's body._

'_He took his head…and the sword…' she thought blankly, her body quickly going numb. She couldn't feel anything except for a burning feeling inside her. And before she slipped into unconsciousness, she knew what the feeling was. Vengeance. It was the beginning of the lust for vengeance. _

"_I swear I'll avenge father…I swear I'll kill Orochimaru…" Tenten whispered softly, and her eyes closed. All she saw was darkness._

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Tenten woke up by the burning feeling on her chest. The white sheets of the blankets were tangled around her, and her forehead was damp with cold sweat. Tenten clasped her hand to the middle of her chest, sighing as the pain slowly ebbed away.

'_It was that damn dream again…It's been more than 12 years since that incident, and I'm still having nightmares about it…' _she thought, shaking her head briefly before sitting up from her bed. She washed up and then changed into her usual clothes, which was bandages bound around her chest to hide the long, jagged scar that ran diagonally across the middle of her chest, and then a baggy, wide-sleeved kimono-top over it. The shirt actually went down to her thighs, but it was tied securely by a black leather cord around her waist. She also wore baggy black pants that went down to her knees. After hiding various weapons in her sleeves, shirt, pouches, and pants, she strapped her main and favorite weapon, the Chinese kung-fu sword called Reginleif, to her back. After tying her long, waist-length chestnut-brown hair into two braids, Tenten walked out of the room. She calmly strode through the dark, narrow corridors, and eventually stopped in front of a large concrete door. She knocked on the door twice, and readjusted the bandages around her hands as she waited for someone to open the door. Finally, when Tenten had just finished fixing the bandages around her calves and her knees, the door creaked open to reveal a large, dimly lit room. On a grand chair there was a man, but his upper torso and his face were hidden by the shadows.

"So, what's the mission, boss?" Tenten asked casually, but there was dangerous smirk playing across her lips.

"This mission might be strange…and difficult…" the man replied, and Tenten raised one eyebrow. Missions were always dangerous, so why was he mentioning it now? "I was going to send someone else such as Reiya or Takeshi, but it seems they're both on a mission. Therefore, I'll be sending you."

"Alright…What's the mission about?" Tenten asked, getting slightly impatient. She hated it when the boss kept leaving her in suspense while not telling her the mission. He threw her a scroll, which she caught lazily. Tenten opened the scroll to find that it was a map…of the Hyuuga Empire.

"You must disguise yourself as a scout or a maid for the Hyuuga. Stay there for a little while and gather information about the kingdom. Later on, you will receive a signal from me. When that signal comes, you must kill and behead the king Hyuuga Hiashi and bring his head to me." the man explained, and Tenten frowned.

"You make it seem easy…Do you have any idea how hard it is to break into the Hyuuga Empire and hide there?" she stated, crossing her arms.

"I'm well aware of the dangers and circumstances. That is why you must disguise yourself. A scout may be more suitable for you but I'd recommend being a maid. Nobody suspects a simple maid." the man replied. Tenten sighed. She knew she had to do it. Plus, she had gone on countless missions like this before. How hard could it be?

"Okay then…I'll be going." Tenten said, and left the room.

When Tenten had left the room and closed the door behind her, the man smirked.

"So?" he asked into the air, but suddenly, a dark cloaked figure emerged from the shadows.

"Yes…you did very well. Now all we need is Hiashi's head…" the shadowed figure said, and he chuckled as he vanished into thin air.

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Well…I guess that was the first chapter. It was a bit bloody, wasn't it? This fic IS rated T, after all. Anyways, sorry for the slow updates! I sprained my wrist last week (during a basketball game. But at least my team won!) and it was awfully hard to write, draw, type on the computer, or even cook a meal! But now my wrist is good enough to type and write a little. PLEASE REVIEW! 

Next chapter: **The Hyuuga Empire**

**Preview:**

"Welcome to our castle," said the girl. "I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

"Hyuuga Hinata? …Aren't you the Hyuuga princess, eldest daughter of the king Hyuuga Hiashi?"

SCENE CHANGE

"What's up with that guy? He keeps on glaring at everyone as if they did something to him."

"Actually…he's my older brother Hyuuga Neji."


End file.
